Ghost in Her Head
by FennyTehRogue
Summary: It's been one week since the destruction of Arcadia Bay and Max and Chloe have traveled to Seattle to get away from it all... But will Max's ghosts follow in suite? [Sequel to Fury in Her Head, multiple chapters. Rating may change to M if this gets any darker. Pricefield shipping inside. DISCONTINUED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, SORRY. T- T]
1. Chapter 1

It was dark… Max could hear voices… Familiar, yet so distant. Slowly opening her eyes, she peered sleepily to the sounds. There was a tall, blurry figure in her doorway. She could see it nod its head, to whatever other person was there before slowly shutting to door and turning back around. Oh… It was a rather disheveled Chloe Elizabeth Price in front of her door… And coming back towards the bed…

She had apparently noticed her awakening, for she called out to her. "You sleep okay there, miss Caulfield?" Chloe bowed her upper torso slightly, raising her her head to look upon the sleepy features of Max.

The Seattle trip had been one helluva hassle, with the pair having to drive instead of any other means… Which wasn't all bad. It wasn't that trip to Portland, but, hey, it was something. It had been a week since arriving back to Max's mom and dad's place and it had been rather calm… Aside from Arcadia Bay being ALL over every major news outlet for days now, as scientists and nutjobs try to make sense and reason about the mess that wiped out that small coastal town in Oregon…

Chloe had been telling Max not to think about it for a while, just for a while… They'd talk about it more soon. She just wanted them to settle back down, catch their collective breaths, and hell, take Chloe around so she could see the sights and sounds of Seattle… Max had begrudgingly agreed but… The thoughts and nightmares still flooded each night.

"Maaaaax… Maaaaax…" Chloe waved her right hand in photographer's sleepy, yet thoughtful face, snapping Max right out of her inner mental dwellings.

"O-oh… Sorry… Hey, Chloe. How long was I out for?" The younger of the pair finally sat herself up, which let Chloe sit herself at the foot of the bed.

"Eh, not too long, an hour or two. Talked with your mom just now. She was concerned for some weird reason, I told her I got your back. She said your dad went out for Burger King or something. " Chloe replied lazily, moving her right hand in a dismissive manner. "I'm all for cheapo hamburgers right now, how about you?"

"Mhm…" Max was still mildly groggy, rubbing her freckle speckled cheeks slightly. This made the young punk chuckle slightly.

"Guess I can't get anything outta you now, hm? That's alright, you can always give me a kiss to wake you up… After all, I'm Prince fucking Charming." She wiggled her eyebrows afterwards, which made Max giggle and lean in, pecking the punk on her lips.

"I don't think I'm some princess." Max spoke once she pulled away, leaning her back against the headboard of her bed. Chloe put an index finger to her chin, tapping it three times before replying.

"Nah… You're more like… Hm. A mage, maybe. I don't think you could… Uh, what's it called again?" The punk questioned.

"What called again?" The photographer raised a brow, leaning forward slightly to look at Chloe more closely in this dim room.

"The other name for like, a fucking warrior class…"

"A tank? You're saying I couldn't be a tank?" Max pouted slightly.

"Yep. Too… Short." Chloe snickered, which made Max punch her tattooed arm, which made her laugh more. "Oh, man, you can't even punch hard! Definitely no warrior here."

"Says the pirate." Max snorted, reaching a hand up to ruffle Chloe's mess of blue locks.

"Shiver me timbers, Mad Max… I'd be a roguish pirate with hella booty… You're the booty…" The blue haired girl grabbed the hand of the other, pressing her lips to the palm of the other's hand. This made the brown haired girl blush like a madman… Heh, I guess she was Mad Max.

"Jesus Chloe…" She shook her head, moving herself to lean against the other's slightly taller frame.

"Yeeeah, yeah… Dunno how to handle my flirting yet, I know. That'll come in no time. Hm… You look mildly bored there… Wanna listen to some, like, Black Keys or something?"

"Didn't know you like music like that. Just yesterday, you were telling me how badass Black Flag and Amebix were." She felt arms wrap around her petite frame and give her a squeeze, feeling the body against her shake with a chuckle.

"Yeah, well, I listen to all sorts of rad shit. I don't always listen to the same stuff, you're just stuck on the indie, grunge, alternative jams. Still not ready for the mosh pit, shaka brah." Patting Max's back, she felt her huff, causing her to grin so wide. "Oh, Maxine, don't get so mad, bro."

"Max. Not-"

"Max, not Maxine. I know better, dude. You're just all sleepy and grumpy and it's hella cute. If you're still tired, Chloe Price is here to be your personal pillow. I'll wake you up when your lumberjack looking dad comes back with our munchies." Hm… Hard to argue all that. Slowly, she buried her face into the crook of her neck, feeling herself drift off into soft sleepy rest.

Until she felt her eyes open… Hazy, blinding light around her. She was standing, but felt as if she was going to collapse. "Where… Am I? Chloe?" Her voice was a simple, dry murmur. She stumbled forward, feeling her left hand press against a wall. The haze cleared. There was a simple oak table, two matching chairs. The rest of the room was foggy, still in a haze. Furrowing her brow, she stumbled to one of those said chairs, breathing a sigh of relief. She felt better in this chair, like a weight was gone for just one second.

"Hello, Max." She suddenly rose her cranium up, eyes wide as she glanced across from herself… No. It couldn't be…

"Kate?" Her voice was shaky as she looked upon the face of her dead friend, Kate looking unfazed as she took a drink of something from a simple china cup, holding the saucer with a delicate hand.

"Hello. I wondered when I'd see you here. I wanted us to have that cup of tea we never got to have together." Max glanced down at the table in front of her, and sure enough, there was a simple cup of tea, she could smell it. She shakily picked it up, taking a sip. ...Tasted real enough.

"Kate, but you're…" Her religious friend's eyes fixated upon her. She froze.

"I could be, I couldn't be. I'm probably just a guilty figment of your imagination, Max. Because, you know…" This faker Kate took yet another sip, placing the china down gently on this oak table.

"I know… Why are you here, why now?" Max wanted to guzzle her tea down quick like, but didn't, she couldn't. She just wanted to calm herself.

"Because you should know that, you've probably ripped time apart with the mass deaths of everything and everyone in Arcadia Bay. You rejected fate, Max. You have Chloe, the one you love, but at what cost? My life, Warren, Joyce, David, Frank and his cute dog… You have killed them all, for her… Why Max? Why defy what's considered destiny?" Max felt her face pale, felt her thin fingers quiver under this questioning.

"I didn't want… To lose her again… Kate, do you know what it's like, seeing so many possible outcomes, but most of them end in your best friend dying? I had no choice… She's one of the few things I've got left… " Kate sighed gently, raising her head up slightly more to look her over.

"So you say, Max. You had a choice there, on that cliff with Chloe and that photograph. You let everyone die, for her. Was it worth it?" Max took in a breath, blue eyes watering ever so slightly… She was going to be strong. None of this was real. This foggy room, this Kate, even the fucking tea was fake. She didn't have to play into this bullshit.

"I didn't lose Chloe… I've got to live with what I decided, we both do, for the rest of our lives. It's our burden to bear on our backs till we die." Kate smiled, it was so plastic and fake, it made Max's chest tighten with hurt.

"So shall it be, Max." Immediately, the room grew black as night itself and Max felt her throat tighten, whispers of angry voices growing around her as Kate's form turned a shadowy shade, her eyes glowing a blinding white as the photographer felt numerous hands pull and tug on her frame in the chair. She screamed but not a goddamn word came out. She felt her frame roughly shake and closed her eyes tight, opening them to see the concerned face of Chloe Elizabeth Price, feeling her warm hand upon her cheeks, feeling thumbs wipe away her falling tears.

"Max! Fuck, you started moving around and crying in your sleep… Scared the shit outta me… Damn…" Chloe moved to hold the smaller girl against her frame so tight, kissing the side of her head. "What did you dream about? What was that bad? Did you have flashbacks about Jeffershit? Oh fuck, Max…" Max just clung tight… This was going to be a long fucking night.


	2. Chapter 2

Chloe wouldn't let herself sleep. Not while Max was having these… She prayed they were just nightmares, and nothing more sinister. Max was firmly planted against her exposed chest, Chloe only covered in a pair of Max's extra black basketball shorts, her black bra, and her bullet necklace. Chloe didn't have shit right now… She debated on driving back to Arcadia to get her and Max's stuff but, the thoughts were too heavy to even think of right now… To go back there…

Not yet. Not fucking yet. A relief project had started, as stated by a post on her Facebook news feed from a friend who hasn't been in town at the time. Lucky him, she thought to herself. Her blue hues slowly traveled to the girl snug in her warm embrace. Was this right? She was going to support Max's choice regardless of what she chose… But Max chose her, over EVERYTHING. Max was truly all Chloe had left at this point… She felt selfish, like this wasn't deserved. Max could have fixed it all, stopped the storm… But instead, they weathered it, together, holding each other in the darkest hour.

God, it could have been some cliché in some bullshit movie, but no. It was truth, no fiction here. And now here she was, in a slowly budding relationship with her savior, holding said savior at two in the morning with fear she'd wake up crying and screaming again, unable to tell what was real and what was a figment of her imagination. Her pale, long fingers ghost over the bare skin of Max's slightly exposed back, pressing her palm there to feel her warmth, her slow breathing. Chloe closed her eyes, then opened them again, optics following the lines of light fixated on the wall adjacent to them.

Chloe remembered how Max used to be, how shy she was, how she was always so nosey and always looking for the truth in things… Max was still these things, deep down. But, she had a shadow cast over her everything now. Max was almost a shade of her former self. She seemed to only keep herself together for Chloe and Chloe alone… She was mildly afraid of what would have become of Max if she had died.

Again, another thought to not go on thinking about. She pulled the blanket more on their bodies, up to their waists. She heard herself begin to mutter. "God, Max… I'm gonna sound so fucking cheesy… You really are an angel. You've done so damn much for me, I'll never be able to repay you… Ever. But hey, that's all right. Gives you an excuse to keep me around, right? Heh… I know I'm a selfish bitch, I know how I don't deserve a great and amazing person like you in my life but… I'm thankful for you, Max Caulfield." She felt the body in her arms relax slightly, feeling her fingers curl into her flesh. She decided to keep going. Chloe was gonna pour her heart right out to her, she was too chicken to while she was awake, so this was prime opportunity.

"Max, I think I've loved you ever since we were in our tweens. Sounds fuckin' lame, I know. But, seriously… I guess I didn't think about it till these past two weeks. Seeing how you've grown up as a person, seeing how strong you are, seeing what you did last week for me… Damn, I just… I want you to know I'm never leaving you, Caulfield. Okay? I'll repeat it again and again if you want… I love you, Max."

Damn. Her face was burning, she could feel the boiling heat. She felt so lame, hella fuckin' lame and cheesy and… It made her so happy, she grinned wide. She was the happiest she had been in so long. Pressing another kiss to the cranium next to hers, she breathed a long breath. A sigh of relief. It was mostly off her chest now. It felt so good, better than any joint she could ever smoke…

She actually wouldn't still mind a joint right about now, though. She knotted her brow together slightly. She'd have to start making her way around this foreign town, getting to know folks around here, find another pot dealer. Pfft, maybe one of Max's friends from here knew where to score a dime bag in this place. She had to mentally chuckle at herself, she went from being a sappy bitch to thinking about weed. At least she had priorities? ...Maybe.

She blindly reached for her phone on the nightstand behind her, pulling her earbuds from her short's pocket to find music to listen to. Foals? Nah. Black Keys, Black Flag, Amebix, Nausea, Bad Religion, Sparklehorse, Wavves? … Nah. Felt like a Rise Against night tonight. Putting on the Appeal to Reason CD, she stared up at the moonlight speckled ceiling, her arms still firmly holding Max close.

She wondered if Max liked Rise Against, but then again, she was more into that indie bullshit… Nothing wrong with it, but, still. She then realized something, she realized she had changed a lot, hadn't she? Her hair, her music tastes, her clothing… Max barely had recognized her when she first saw her. But damn, it was funny how Max had stayed almost the same, appearance wise anyhow. Still short, same clothing style… Her eyes slowly moved back over to her little photographer's features.

The way her blue eyes looked so determined constantly, how her hair was always slightly disheveled, her cute little freckles on her cheeks… She really hadn't changed much. Why this gave Chloe a mental sigh of relief, she didn't really understand, but nonetheless, it was there and made her feel better about things, if for only a moment. Slowly, Chloe's thoughts began to drift away, to her sheer dismay. She had to stay awake, for Max… But she even knew, Max would have her head for not sleeping. Pulling out her earbuds, she lazily placed her device back down and turned her whole body once again to hold the other tighter than before.

And after that, there was total silence.


	3. Chapter 3

They had just gotten back from shopping for a couple extra clothes for Chloe, considering the pair had come with nothing but the clothes on their backs. At least Max had left clothes here, the punk rock pirate had to start anew, at least for now. Max and Chloe thanked Max's parents before heading back upstairs, Max slowly shutting the door as Chloe immediately flunked down upon the bed, an exasperated sigh leaving her.

"Max, how the fuck did you put up with your dad's nonstop talking? …Fuckin' geezus." Chloe had heard enough about the Seattle Thunderbirds to last her a lifetime but, to her chagrin, this amused her friend to no end.

"He's not that bad, Chloe." She replied rather simply, a smile on her face as she moved to sit at the chair near her desk. Chloe had huffed at her retort, lackadaisically moving to go through a nearby bag of tank tops she had purchased earlier in the day.

"Pffft. 'Chloe! Have you ever seen a man smack a puck straight into another man's face?!' He asked me that same damn question four fucking times Max." She sounded even more exasperated. Okay, Max couldn't not laugh at that. She giggled softly, her left hand absentmindedly toying with her wristbands around her right wrist.

"Okay, okay… I see where you're coming from. " Max looked over Chloe, who was still rummaging through a bag. She watched her face… She had rather stark bags underneath her dark blues, which made her brow furrow with worry. Was she not sleeping much? Hell, Max's sleeping schedule had gone out of whack too, but she didn't look damn near as bad as her counterpart. "Hey, Chloe?"

"What's up, Max?" Chloe raised her head, a right hand reaching up to remove her navy beanie to only replace it with a dark maroon one she had picked up that same day.

"You look-" Max started off.

"Hella sexy? Pfft, Max we already knew that." Chloe looked pleased as punch that she came up with that so quickly. This made our time traveling photographer frown.

"No, dummy. You look like shit." She was firm in her tone. Ouch. Chloe's face turned from cocky in that moment to pouty.

"Ow, Max. Let a girl down easy why don't cha?"

"I'm seriously serious, Chloe. You look like you haven't slept in days." Max stood up, striding over to her best friend to sit next to her. Chloe sat herself up more straight once Max sat beside her, crossing her arms over her breasts.

"Well, ya caught me. I haven't been, you're right… All because I'm seriously worried about you. You've been waking up this past week, crying and screaming about shit, and you won't tell me anything. Look, Max, we're in this together, forever, so… You should really talk to me. You can't hold all this weight and guilt on your own." It was Chloe's turn to sound all stern and firm. Hanging her head, Max looked to stare at the Hawt Dog Man poster hanging on her bedroom door. She was trying to avoid Chloe's gaze.

"Chloe…" She trailed off. Chloe reached a hand out to place it gently on the other's slender shoulder.

"Look. We don't have to talk about it now, I keep saying that. It's just… I want you to eventually talk to me about things, okay? You don't have to hold this all in. I'm right there with you, Super Max. I told you before, lemme hold the cape for a while if shit gets too heavy… Capiche?" Her eyes slowly trailed over to the other girl's tired features. She couldn't say no, not to her. Sheepishly, she nodded her head. This made the punk smile gently.

"That's my girl. Thanks Max." She leaned in slowly, pressing a kiss to Max's forehead. Max didn't reply, but her freckled cheeks lightly flushed. This made her smile grow just a little more.

A couple hours fly by, as Max sat silently in her bed while Chloe had fallen asleep beside her, head resting on her shoulder. She was updating her journal, something she hadn't done since Arcadia Bay's destruction. It was a long entry, but meaningful enough, describing the crazy couple of days it took to get home, plus some of her numerous nightmares. Her eyes eventually wander over to Chloe's features once again. She could tell this past week that Chloe had become even more protective over her, at the apparent cost of her physical health. Was this guilt of what Max did for her? Was this the only way Chloe could think of paying what she thought was a life debt? ...Probably so… She placed her pen and journal down on her bed and moved her hand rather cautiously to grasp hold of Chloe's currently limp hand, fingers encircling hers.

"Chloe…" Her voice was a gentle murmur, her own cranium moving to rest against a mess of blue locks. She started to feel tired… All of sudden, she was in that same oak chair from the night before, no table. Great, she fell asleep yet again. She wasn't ready for it.

"Damnit… Why do I have to always end up here? Can't my subconscious think up something better?" Max said aloud, sighing before standing up in this hazy, foggy room. Glancing around, she began to trekk. This time was different than before, she wasn't so delirious. She saw a bright light at the end of what seemed to be a massive hallway. She stopped at it, looking around at the space before her. Nothing, no other exits. Damn. "I guess this is the only way out… Here goes nothing. " She closed her gaze in fear and stepped haphazardly through.

Once she stepped in, she opened her eyes. It was Jefferson's class, empty, not a soul in sight. This place was burned into her memory at this point, wasn't it? She stood awkwardly at the door, unnerved about being here, yet again. But, slowly, she began to walk across the room, to the windows adjacent to her visage. She didn't know what compelled her to do so, but nonetheless, she complied.

She slowly placed her hand up to place it upon the window before-

"I see you there, Max Caulfield. Don't you go hiding from me." She swallowed hard, her gaze turning go see who she fucking expected to see. Mark Jeffershit. Goddamnit. Not this asshole. Max turned her frame completely to look upon Jefferson. He was sitting rather casually at his desk, one leg crossed over the other, arms crossed over his chest. "Thought I'd see you again. Either here or, well, in Hell."

"You're not real, I'm really tired of seeing you at this point." Max was serious, but Jefferson still smiled wide, peering at her over his black-rimmed glasses.

"But here I am. You know, you still haven't determined if this is real or fake, have you?" His voice was toying, playful.

"Obviously fake. You're dead, plus, you just mentioned you're surprised to see me here." She moved to sit herself on a desk, looking at him with a cool gaze.

"Well, well… Who's to say this isn't an alternate reality, Max? Hm? Or rather, some dimension, some obscure purgatory?" He almost scoffed, leaning back in his seat with his arms moving to rest behind his head. "Mhm… There's that look of fear I like to see. You really can't be sure, can you? This is so real, so… Vivid. More vivid and full of life than any of your fucking blank faced selfies, Miss Caulfield… " His lips curled into a sinister smirk.

Max slowly stood from the desk, a breath leaving her. She wasn't going to keep listening to this. He couldn't control her, not ever again. She moved to walk towards the door to leave, not once looking over her shoulder. She heard him stand and could hear footsteps behind her. "Maxine… Now, now… Don't run away from your problems… You've done that enough this past week." His voice sounded deeper, more… Demented, dark… Almost, demonic.

With a slow look over her shoulder… She saw he looked just like Kate the night before, eyes glowing a solid gold hue instead of pure white, his body a smoky black figure. Her eyes widened, as he slowly walked towards her, his face full of a wild grin. She quickly grabbed the handle to the door, whipping her head around to try to open the door. Fuck! It was locked tight!

"Maaaaax… Hehehe! I need to lock you in my Dark Room for all eternity! My perfect model, my best subject!" The space between them was small, so, with all her might, she rammed her small frame into the door with shut tight eyes. Then… Felt weightlessness…

Opening eyes with a low breath. She glimpsed a wide, grassy field and a surreal sunset sky before she felt a jerk in the back of her head. She could feel another breath, a weight on her arm… Opening eyes a second time…

There was Chloe, curled against her leg, much like a small animal. Back to reality once again, Mad Max. She felt heavy, like a mass was weighing her shoulders down… What were these fucked up hallucinations? First Kate, then Jefferson… What was next to visit her? Was this like a Christmas Carol? She scoffed at the thought. Taking her left hand, she placed it on the side of Chloe's head, fingers curling into the locks of her hair.

Whatever this was, she was going to get the bottom of it, Hell or highwater.


End file.
